The Abbasid Caliphate was founded in 750 when the Abbasid dynasty overthrew the Umayyad Caliphate and moved the seat of Islamic rule from Damascus to a newly built capital, Baghdad. Under Abbasid rule Baghdad became a center of science, culture, arts and invention, a period remembered as the Golden Age of Islam, drawing scholars who preserved and expanded Greek, Persian and Indian learning. Abbasid political authority declined steadily from the tenth century as regional dynasties broke away, and the caliphate's classical period ended in 1258 when Mongol forces under Hulagu Khan sacked Baghdad and executed the caliph.
Facts
Government TypeCaliphate (hereditary Islamic monarchy) 1 Government type (class) Government type (class) Classification
Status (Extant or Former) Connections
In Era
Why this is disputed. The Abbasid Caliphate's classical and Golden Age centuries fall within the conventional post-classical and medieval period, though its own internal periodization (rise, Golden Age, decline) does not map neatly onto European medieval boundaries.
Preceded By
Source Wikipedia: Umayyad Caliphate
Related To
Additional Source Wikipedia: Hulagu KhanLead section, fall of the Abbasid dynasty
Additional Source Wikipedia: Siege of Baghdad (1258)Lead section (edge: related-to Abbasid Caliphate)
Source Wikipedia: Abbasid Caliphate
Source Wikipedia: Abbasid Caliphate
Ruled By
Source Wikipedia: Harun al-Rashid
In the Other Atlases
- Also in Society and Culture Atlas: Monarchy, government type there.
- Also in Society and Culture Atlas: Theocracy, government type there.
Sources
1. Wikipedia: Abbasid Caliphate
WikipediaLead section
uh-BASS-id (ASCII respelling)
Infobox
750
Mongol invasion and end section
This revival ended in 1258 with the sack of Baghdad by the Mongols under Hulagu Khan and the execution of Caliph al-Musta'sim, which marked the effective end of the Abbasid Caliphate.
The Abbasid Caliphate: Status
Abbasid political authority declined steadily from the tenth century as regional dynasties broke away, and the caliphate's classical period ended in 1258 when Mongol forces under Hulagu Khan sacked Baghdad and executed the caliph.
View the Source Wikipedia: Hulagu Khan
WikipediaRelated To: Hulagu Khan, Lead section, fall of the Abbasid dynastyQuote, Related To: Hulagu Khan, Lead section, fall of the Abbasid dynasty
Under Hulegu's leadership, the Mongols sacked and destroyed Baghdad, ending the Islamic Golden Age and the Abbasid dynasty.
Wikipedia: Siege of Baghdad (1258)
WikipediaRelated To: Siege of Baghdad (1258), Lead section (edge: related-to Abbasid Caliphate)Quote, Related To: Siege of Baghdad (1258), Lead section (edge: related-to Abbasid Caliphate)
A large army commanded by Hulegu, a prince of the Mongol Empire, attacked the historic capital of the Abbasid Caliphate after a series of provocations from its ruler, caliph al-Musta'sim.
Wikipedia: Umayyad Caliphate
Frequently Asked Questions
Who was the last Abbasid caliph to rule from Baghdad, and what happened to him?
Al-Musta'sim, executed after the Mongol sack of Baghdad in 1258.
Caliph al-Musta'sim was the last Abbasid caliph to rule from Baghdad. When the Mongols under Hulagu Khan sacked the city in 1258, they executed him, which marked the effective end of the classical Abbasid Caliphate.
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